NY Food Tour / Spring Break '08

[raji]

What is the Japanese term for eating yourself to ruin?  Bourdain talked about it when he was in Osaka....

Sounds like (forgive the butchering) "Kwidoray"

hahaha Kuidaore you were real close. Those Osakans are a funny bunch. They basically produce 90% of the country's comedians.

I had the same problem with the Google Maps and the 55th Street location.... apparently, good thing you avoided the one on Cooper Square, I guess it's gone downhill. The 55th street menkuitei has always been a lot beter. There's also a Menchankotei right there that you could have gone to -

So you ate at Sushiya - not a bad place, at least it's Japanese sushi chefs... but you do know that Totto was just another 2 blocks westward.....

[anthonybishopric]

What is the Japanese term for eating yourself to ruin?  Bourdain talked about it when he was in Osaka....

Sounds like (forgive the butchering) "Kwidoray"

hahaha Kuidaore you were real close. Those Osakans are a funny bunch. They basically produce 90% of the country's comedians.

I had the same problem with the Google Maps and the 55th Street location.... apparently, good thing you avoided the one on Cooper Square, I guess it's gone downhill. The 55th street menkuitei has always been a lot beter. There's also a Menchankotei right there that you could have gone to -

So you ate at Sushiya - not a bad place, at least it's Japanese sushi chefs... but you do know that Totto was just another 2 blocks westward.....

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The bane of my existence has been not knowing my way around the city. A lot of the planning that went into the schedules for everything took into account "well the subway will be really convenient" but little other logistics. Totto will have to be another trip...

[Pan]

I'm not happy with Menkui Tei lately, though. The last time I went, there was raw ground pork in clumps, and they didn't offer to comp the meal. I paid and didn't make an issue of it, but the right thing for them to do would have been to comp the meal, since I had already eaten too much of the ramen for it to have been reasonable for them to replace it. Menkui Tei is on Cooper Square (the part that's an extension of 3rd Av.), by the way.

That sucks! Next time call me up I'll chew them out in Japanese. ano baka . I find the ramen much more consistent in midtown.

FWIW most of my Japanese dining cohorts who were not Setagaya fans in Japan, which is most of them, would much rather go to Menkuitei, or even Minca, Menchankotei rairaiken. Conversely, EVERYONE seems to rave over Santouka's.

I guess go try it out, and enter the great ramen debate. Please report back!

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I've been to Setagaya several times and liked it very much, but I won't go anymore, because the lines are too long.

[Pan]

[...]I started off with Falling Leaves, which is a dry Riesling with brandy, honey, and bitters. it was served in a smallish glass with I thought the combination of sweet wine and sweet liquor was really cool. There was one star anise petal in the glass to reinforce the kind sweet bitterness of the drink.

The second drink I got was Captain Lawrence's IPA, which was a little more bitter than I'm used to for IPAs in general.[...]

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Two questions: A star anise petal? You mean from a flower, or just a section of the star itself?

Also, can anyone point me to somewhere where I can find a good definition of IPA?

[anthonybishopric]

[...]I started off with Falling Leaves, which is a dry Riesling with brandy, honey, and bitters. it was served in a smallish glass with I thought the combination of sweet wine and sweet liquor was really cool. There was one star anise petal in the glass to reinforce the kind sweet bitterness of the drink.

The second drink I got was Captain Lawrence's IPA, which was a little more bitter than I'm used to for IPAs in general.[...]

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Two questions: A star anise petal? You mean from a flower, or just a section of the star itself?

Also, can anyone point me to somewhere where I can find a good definition of IPA?

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Sorry, just a star, like you'd expect. I wouldn't have known what it was if it was just some section of the star.

IPA article

[Swicks]

*waits anxiously for the next report*

Sorry, living vicariously over here....

[BryanZ]

Where the hell is JG?

[anthonybishopric]

*waits anxiously for the next report*

Sorry, living vicariously over here....

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Where the hell is JG?

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Yes yes, patience children. Just got back from today's activities, I'm writing right now.

[anthonybishopric]

Friday, March 14 (Pi Day)

Jean Georges. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

Bouche Amuse, left-to-right: soup with radish slice, salt and poached egg, parmesan and tangerine, eaten in order mid, right, left

Butternut Squash Soup

Foie Gras, Sour Cherries, White Port Gelee

Smoked Squab à L'Orange, Asian Pear, Candied Tamarind

Cheese: From front to back: Saint Pierre, a Wisconsonian take on Parmesan, and a super barnyardy cheese.

Pumpkin Cake, Cranberry Paper, Lemon Sorbet

Assorted Chocolates, Marshmallows, and Macaroons

This was the best meal, bar none, that I have eaten. Jean Georges trampled the competition, after all the food since I've gotten to the city, nothing has been even remotely as delicious as this.

If you aren't a fan of exclamation marks or capitalization, I'd stop reading right around now.

The bouche amuse, which JG treats like a mini-meal, rather than a snack, is probably one of my favorite things in life. I had been to JG once before and the idea was the same: something kind of smooth and salty in texture, something light and slightly bitter, then something rich, warm and soothing. UNREAL. The egg burst in the first spoon, matching up with the salt, a wonderful egginess. Followed closely by the parmesan, as though it had been left out of a mini omelette if the first spoon, but adjoined by the attached tangerine, a bitter hit of citrus. Then the soup came, and washed away the acidity in a moment I can only describe as "happiness."

Among my favorite vegetables in the world is the butternut squash. To have butternut squash soup is a treat in any setting, but at Jean Georges, it was elevated to a religious experience. What you can't see in the picture are little chunks of squash cubes on the bottom of the bowl, which were then covered by the waiter who poured on scoop upon scoop of the orange mix. I WANT THIS EVERY DAY FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE. The soup itself was warm, cheesy, squashy and thick with flavors, but the squash hunks at the bottom reinforced squash over everything else. Truly, there can be no tribute to squash to equal this in the world.

Unlike the foie I've had at other places that make the material into a light, whipped fatty composition, JG has mastered the art of taking the extreme creaminess of the substance and made it true heavyweight player in a dish. The texture in this foie was ridiculously good, and combined with the gelee and sour cherries, was a wonderful sweet/sour combination.

I was daydreaming when the waiter brought in a dish and took it to the serving table in the middle of the room. He walked right past me with it, since my table was close to the entry way. I could smell my squab from 6 feet away! When it was brought back to me, the aroma was so unbelievably amazing. There was every manner of deliciousness playing around in this dish: the meaty bird, the spicy and super sweet tamarind, the orange juice / oolong tea combo that added herbal citrus and asian pear to play the sweet balance. I was seriously delirious once I had finished this.

The cheese dish was delicious and fun. My waiter brought out the cheese cart and I selected the three cheeses from a choice of roughly 15 varieties. The Saint Pierre was very creamy, and very thick, but not gooey like the third was. The parmesan variation was tougher to eat on its own, especially because the slice was fairly large, but it was tasty nonetheless. It definitely had an American personality to something traditionally very Italian, which was interesting. Like I mentioned before, the third was gooey and super barnyardy. I was at the ranch for the rest of the meal pretty much, even after dessert (just try drinking from a glass of water where your nose is sharing air with your mouth after that kind of cheese).

To my horror, they then brought me the dessert menu. Well, what was I going to do? IGNORE dessert at JG? Absolutely not. I got the winter dessert selection and an espresso. You may recognize the same pirate ship theme from Tailor again here, except instead of beet sheets, these red sails are cranberry flavored. With pumpkin, this was nice, although all the most amazing heights of the meal really couldn't be reached again (the bar was THIS high [points up]). The sorbet was very delicate, and very truly lemony, not lemonadey, if that makes sense.

Almost catatonic, they brought over the chocolates, marshmallows and macaroons. I was basically going to pass out right there on the table with all these very dignified people watching me eat my way into decimation. I tried as politely as I could to sample the desserts and pay the bill before I slipped into a comatose state. Memory is a little dim here, but my favorite of these little treats was the saffron & cinnamon marshmallow on the upper right.

I got out of there before my waiter had a chance to call for an ambulance, and walked around a bit to recover. I still have so much to say about Jean Georges, but it's hard to think of it all. If you're more curious about this trip, I'd be happy to answer. In general though, I'll leave it at THAT WAS OUT OF CONTROL.

You may recall a scene from Kill Bill where Uma Thurman is sitting in the back of the truck, instructing herself to move her big toe. That was me for the next few hours at Starbucks across the street, taking advantage of the wireless and just relaxing a bit. But after I got myself together, I managed to grab a ride on the subway and headed down to Gimme! Coffee for the latte I had forgone the day before.

Latte

The barista, Jenni Bryant, makes an incredibly tasty latte. I had seen shapes drawn into the foam of coffee after-the-fact with stirrers or spoons, but she did the art entirely while pouring the milk. One important aspect of the latte, I was told, was that foam and milk in a drink should not be distinct entities, but rather it should be creamy the whole way down, without a milk boundary. Jenni is awesome, as well as everybody at Gimme! Coffee. James, another guy who works there agreed to split a John's Pizza with me the next day, which was useful since you can't buy by the slice, and it gave me an excuse to get more delicious espresso.

That night I had zero appetite for food. My aunt took me to a little Italian restaurant "La Finestra" around the corner from where she lives for a quick bite to eat.

Aunt Suzanne with her Shrimp Risotto

My Veggies

Suzanne has been really nice letting me stay in her apartment this week. I've been sleeping in her living room on the couch and using the gym upstairs to displace some of the food consumption.

Best Pi day ever.

Tomorrow: John's Pizza, Gimme! Coffee (#3), Russ & Daughters, Katz Delicatessen, Shabu Shabu

Edited March 16, 2008 by anthonybishopric (log)

[Curlz]

Fabulous drool-worthy report, Anthony! Just one correction on your dessert at JG--those aren't biscotti-they're macarons! And the real deal, from what I can see. How are you going to return to college life/eating after this week?!? That's my #1 question right now...

[sundownyellowmoon]

Thanks so much for the terrific NY dining tales!

It makes me want to go back to JG on my next trip to NYC--which is this week, thankfully.

When we ate at JG, we had a foie gras dish, too. My son described it as the best PB&J he'd ever tasted. What do you think?

Jon

[kathryn]

Really, John's of Bleecker? Tien says John's?!

Last few times I've been, the crust has been too thick, not charred enough, and there's way too much cheese on the pies there. Joe's was never as good after they moved. I gave up on Lombardi's (too wet) and Grimaldi's (ditto but their sauce is very good) a while ago. Patsy's of East Harlem has great, perfect crust but I've been told of inconsistencies, and the quality of toppings isn't that spectacular. However, that particular Patsy's is my Manhattan go-to, alongside Luzzo's (but be careful what you order, sometimes the crust needs a bit of salt to help). Luzzo's pies are on the smaller size, which is good against fighting soggy centers. I'm assuming you don't want to make the trek out to Totonno's (Coney Island) or Di Fara in Brooklyn. Or pay a premium for Una Pizza Napoletana.

If you do trek it out to Di Fara on a weekend, make sure you're first in line, that's the only way I've been able to do it without going insane. Although, if you're already full, the line fights can be entertaining.

Edited March 16, 2008 by kathryn (log)

[anthonybishopric]

Fabulous drool-worthy report, Anthony!  Just one correction on your dessert at JG--those aren't biscotti-they're macarons!  And the real deal, from what I can see.    How are you going to return to college life/eating after this week?!?  That's my #1 question right now...

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Noted and corrected! Yeah, about that whole college food thing. Well, one good thing is I've got a job right now that can hopefully support a more varied diet in the greater Durham area as opposed to strictly being on campus. That said, I'm so so so sad to be leaving New York on Sunday. Hopefully I'll be back to do a second round of this "vicarious culinary tourism."

Thanks so much for the terrific NY dining tales!

It makes me want to go back to JG on my next trip to NYC--which is this week, thankfully.

When we ate at JG, we had a foie gras dish, too.  My son described it as the best PB&J he'd ever tasted.  What do you think?

Jon

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Haha, now that I think about that, all the same elements are definitely there. If you put raisins or dried cherries in your pb&js, then it totally makes sense. I mean, I would say that the foie wasn't really peanutty in the general sense, but the textures were definitely there (a buttery piece of toast was under the foie, hence the sandwich). Kind of makes me want to make a really exotic pb&j...

[anthonybishopric]

Really, John's of Bleecker? Tien says John's?!

Last few times I've been, the crust has been too thick, not charred enough, and there's way too much cheese on the pies there. Joe's was never as good after they moved. I gave up on Lombardi's (too wet) and Grimaldi's (ditto but their sauce is very good) a while ago. Patsy's of East Harlem has great, perfect crust but I've been told of inconsistencies, and the quality of toppings isn't that spectacular. However, that particular Patsy's is my Manhattan go-to, alongside Luzzo's (but be careful what you order, sometimes the crust needs a bit of salt to help). Luzzo's pies are on the smaller size, which is good against fighting soggy centers. I'm assuming you don't want to make the trek out to Totonno's (Coney Island) or Di Fara in Brooklyn. Or pay a premium for Una Pizza Napoletana.

If you do trek it out to Di Fara on a weekend, make sure you're first in line, that's the only way I've been able to do it without going insane. Although, if you're already full, the line fights can be entertaining.

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So, I ended up going to John's. I'll tell you, two of the things I really liked about John's was that the crust was well charred and that the crust thickness was really nice. Granted, I'm not used to high quality pizza, being primarily exposed to Papa John's etc... but I thought it was certainly tasty. Honestly, I'm missing dozens of restaurants, which makes me extraordinarily sad. I think I'm going to spend the plane ride back writing up what I would do differently, other places I would go, etc... Di Fara was on my I-hope-I-have-time-to list.

[anthonybishopric]

The Weekend of March 15-16 and Summary

Diving into the final tour of NY, I basically decided to throw myself headfirst into the city's cultural food core: John's Pizza, Katz's Deli, and Russ & Daughter's

I mentioned yesterday that I took this pizza back to Gimme! Coffee to share, and I'm glad I did for several reasons. One, I got to drink more delicious coffee, two I got to chill with Jenni, James and company, and three, it left me some stomach room to head over to Katz's / Russ afterwards.

Pepperoni Pizza

Mocha Choka

I have not had the luxury of good pizza in my life so far, aside from one local pizza place with an entirely different style near my family's house in Miami. I already touched on what made the pizza tasty, I'll only add that I thought the cheese levels were really good too.

The Mocha Choka (or was it Choka Mocha?) was nice and creamy like the first latte, but the mocha was really nice because of the way it was sweetened. Rather than adding sugar or chocolate syrup, the drink was made with cocoa and a shot of whipped cream. That added a very slight sweetness while reinforcing the drink's milk chocolate personality.

I said goodbye to everyone and headed over to Katz's and Russ. Russ's had about a dozen people inside, and everyone was actively being served. I did try the recommended white tuna salad, and it was very nice. I admit, at the time, something less rich seemed more appealing, so I went ahead and bought a small portion of the beet, apple and Halibut salad. Katz's was NUTS, as I'm sure you could have predicted. I grabbed a pastrami and rye and got out of there. I suppose it was important to get a feel for the NY experience of totally getting pushed around and yelled at instead of being waited on hand and foot. Overall, it was kind of fun. I went home with my Houston St. goodies.

Beet, Apple, Halibut Salad

Pastrami on Rye

Like I said, the salad was nice and light, which was a good way to move into the sandwich, a big meaty ordeal that I relished every bite of. I like how the sandwich makers at Katz's give you a little sample of the meat before you get the whole sandwich and pickles. My sandwich guy had just grabbed a hunk of the meat from the oven, so I got to taste the hot, sweet and meaty amazingness. With a good supply of mustard, I was very satisfied.

That night I went out to another restaurant my aunt like's in the neighborhood called Shabu Shabu where the waiter brings you a pot that you can cook your own beef stew in. Not especially picture-worthy, but a nice meal nonetheless. If you go (I think it was on 70th and Madison), try the plum wine, it wasn't that bad.

In the morning, we actually had time to go to Café Sabarsky, which was nice because it was among one of many cafés that I missed this trip. Breakfast was Viennese, with a few slices of ham, breads, butter, jam, and coffee, which was exceptionally nice. And finally, on the way back to the apartment, we swung into Maison Du Chocolat and I picked up a chocolate praline egg (an actual egg filled with chocolate). Then I got in a taxi and headed for JFK.

This whole trip has been wonderful, and it's been a pleasure to report back to you guys about it. I've learned a whole bunch, although I can't possibly claim to be at any sort of level of expertise. I do have to point out my highlights of the trip.

My best meal was definitely JG. Most of the restaurants I went to competed on very different platforms than JG but were still good (Katz's, Momofuku, Tailor, etc...) but it terms of absolute sheer tastiness, JG dominated.

I basically want to go back to every restaurant I've been to, but I'd say If I had to have one more day in New York to revisit the places I've been, I'd hit Gramercy Tavern for lunch and Lupa for dinner. I loved the environments there, as well as the food. Lupa is also very date-worthy, and maybe we'd head to PDT afterwards... le sigh...

Of course, there are like 12976419274 restaurants I didn't get to go to, in addition to places I said I was going on this trip. Death & Co. missed me, as well as some coffee places I learned about last minute, like Grumpy's in Brooklyn. A future trip to New York would see more varied coffee establishments, and better researched ones too, as well as more bars. I could plan my next week (or month) of food touring in New York right now. I guess I would have to plan my hospital care for the immediately following week and sell of my personal belongings too, but it would be possible.

In general, I've been totally charmed by being / trying to be a foodie. Moving to San Francisco at the end of May is looking like a wonderful opportunity for me, not just professionally, but as a chance to really saturate myself in an environment based on an art form that is a testament to culture and the most human of satisfaction. My trip to New York has been a wonderful introduction to everything food, and i do mean when I say, an introduction.

[Pan]

[...]I like how the sandwich makers at Katz's give you a little sample of the meat before you get the whole sandwich and pickles. My sandwich guy had just grabbed a hunk of the meat from the oven, so I got to taste the hot, sweet and meaty amazingness.

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He grabbed the meat from the steamer.

[...]A future trip to New York would see more varied coffee establishments, and better researched ones too, as well as more bars. I could plan my next week (or month) of food touring in New York right now. I guess I would have to plan my hospital care for the immediately following week and sell of my personal belongings too, but it would be possible.[...]

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It's been fun vicariously taking this journey with you.

[raji]

That wasn't the prix fixe + 1 extra entree at JG, was it? If not, what was the damage if you don't mind us asking?

[Sneakeater]

This was all great. Really great: one of the most fun foodboard threads ever.

The only question I have is why you'd order a beer in a cocktail lounge.

[anthonybishopric]

That wasn't the prix fixe + 1 extra entree at JG, was it? If not, what was the damage if you don't mind us asking?

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No, I was in the fine dining room and did three entrees, and three cheeses at $8 each, plus an espresso. After tip it came out to around $81. For the sheer amount of food, I'd say this was a great deal, especially after being totally jaded by previous meal costs.

This was all great.  Really great:  one of the most fun foodboard threads ever.

The only question I have is why you'd order a beer in a cocktail lounge.

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Thanks! So, there are two reasons for the beer, mostly having to do with just being in the mood for an IPA, and a little less based on not wanting to be wastey faced on the way home. You can call me a girl and it wouldn't be news.

[Sneakeater]

Not to argue, but aside from the understandable wastey-faced part, that's kinda like being in JG and asking the kitchen to make you a hamburger cuz that's what you're in the mood for.

Anyway, just ragging on you for no reason. Sounds like a great trip.

[anthonybishopric]

I get that, but it's not like I got a Bud Lite. At least, it was my impression that if I was getting beer, it'd be nice beer. But yeah, no offense taken.

[catsrus9]

I'm highly jealous of your travels....what an awesome trip! so many fantastic restaurants in such a short period of time. My spring break doesn't start till next weekend, and I'll be lucky if I get to half as many cool places. I'm definitely going to 11 Madison Park (which I actually haven't been to before) so I'm glad you really liked their new menu.

Although I did come back from school in Provy last weekend just to go to Momofuku Ko with a fellow foodie friend, which was incredible!

I'm glad you had an awesome time! I'm sure it will be really hard to go back to normal school now (and the boring food that our lovely universities have to offer) hehe.

My best,

Charlie

[BryanZ]

Perhaps more poignantly, it's not like you got a vodka and soda.

I was tempted to drive up to NYC this weekend to meet another Brownie for a meal at Ko, but unfortunately I have to cook. Oh well. By the way, our campus food smokes yours, no offense.

[Swicks]

I will echo the others sentiments and extend my thanks to you for posting about your food adventures, for a Californian who was in NYC just about a year ago it has been great to live (and eat) vicariously through you.

That meal at JG looks stunning. It is amazing to see a restaurant that has not only been around for a long time but also one that is a small piece in a huge empire still executing on such a high level. The chefs there deserve high praise, many of the old guard in NYC fine dining I think could take a lesson from JG.

[catsrus9]

Perhaps more poignantly, it's not like you got a vodka and soda.

I was tempted to drive up to NYC this weekend to meet another Brownie for a meal at Ko, but unfortunately I have to cook.  Oh well.  By the way, our campus food smokes yours, no offense.

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Haha, no offense taken. I'm the first to admit that our food is absolutely horrible. Some of the things that show up in our dining halls are absolutely terrifying.

Also, there was another Brown student who went home to go to Ko!? Who in the world is it? I thought I was the only one crazy enough (as well as the only Brown student that didn't think Momofuku was some offensive term).